Monday, May 11, 2009

Since I have learnt about the health benefits of sweet potatoes, this handy and healthy vegetable has graced my table in many forms. From curried sweet potato bites to spiced potato oat rolls to sweet potato roti, all variations of this vegetable have been appreciated and enjoyed. On a whim I decided to try using this vegetable as a stuffing in a paratha instead of the usual aloo paratha (potato stuffed Indian flat bread).

Having decided to use this as a stuffing I also wanted to try my hand at using some south Indian spices such as rasam powder to spice up this essentially north Indian preparation. The rasam powder gave this paratha an interesting and intriguing dimension and we thoroughly enjoyed this slightly sweet and slightly spicy preparation.

In a large bowl add whole wheat flour and salt and mix well. Add oil and water as required (for this quantity I used about 3/4 cup) and knead to make a soft, pliable and non sticky dough. Keep covered and let sit for at least 30 minutes.

Place the sweet potatoes in the microwave with skin and cook on high power until the sweet potatoes are soft. Cool thoroughly and peel the sweet potatoes and place them in a large bowl
and mash them completely and keep aside.

Alternatively you can peel the sweet potatoes, cut them into cubes and place them in a microwave safe bowl and cook for a couple of minutes or for time required until cooked and soft.Then mash them completely and keep aside.

When the sweet potatoes are a little cooler, add all the spices mentioned in the filling to it and mix well.

Roll into little lime sized balls and keep aside.

Roll the dough into equal number of large lemon sized balls and keep aside.

Using a little flour if required roll out the dough into a pancake sized circle.

Place filling in the center and pull the ends together until it looks a little like a pouch.

Gently flatten the dough and roll it out again into a thickish circle, with the help of a little flour if required.

Continue with this process until all the dough and all the filling gets used up. Then heat a griddle/tawa / flat pan.

Place the rolled out dough on it and cook each side until light pink spots appear on it. Apply a little ghee or oil on each side and cook each side further for a minute or so

Remove the stuffed flat bread and serve hot with a side of yogurt and pickle or dhal and curry.

Lot of varieties with sweet potatoes in your blog Usha... I never knew one could make so much with those humble tubers.I have heard that it is pretty healthy too... I normally don't use them to the fullest potential I think. All I do is microwave them and eat! How boring.

i have never tried making parathas like this and with a different flavour like rasam powder that is interesting ..., you have done so many with sweet potatoes, then look into my blog for sweet potato polis !! and try them too...

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Dedication

This blog is dedicated to three wonderful women in my life who inspire me to give my best to creating the most tasty and healthy dishes.

My mother and my grandmother,two very gifted individuals who not only created magic in their kitchens from the most ordinary ingredients but also created magic in our lives with their love,generosity,spirit and laughter.I cherish the memories of my time with each of them

And my mother in law who with her wonderful smile,resourceful nature and patience continues to guide me,inspire me and makes my time spent with her in the kitchen and out of it, fun.